A Cincinnati cop was suspended for a week after going on a “verbal tirade” with telemarketers and calling them “n——” in front of her colleagues—twice in one month.
Officer Kelly Drach, a 23-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department, was suspended from her job in May for violating its code of conduct for “failure of good behavior,” according to documents released Monday and shared with VICE News.
The first incident happened on Nov. 17, 2021, at the department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), according to the internal investigation. Drach reportedly made a habit of picking up calls from telemarketers and arguing with them. During this particular call, the report says she called the person on the line a “sand n—–.”
An RTCC senior crime analyst with family from Iran overheard Drach and confronted her about it.
“What the fuck, Kelly?” the employee asked in shock, according to the internal report. Drach apologized, though the analyst told investigators the apology did not feel as sincere as she’d hoped.
About a week later, Drach used the slur once again in front of her colleagues during another heated argument with a telemarketer.
“I heard a girl in there yelling n—– in there two times. I have to sit right next to [their] door and they should not be saying this word,” an employee wrote in an anonymous letter to human resources. “Someone who uses this word should not work for my city. I hope you do something about this.”
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The suspension is the first time Drach faced disciplinary action. According to her prior evaluations, she was considered an exemplary officer.
The Cincinnati Police Department declined to comment on Drach’s actions.
During a hearing in February, Drach didn’t refute that shed used the slur. However, she reportedly said that her actions were the result of an immense amount of stress she’s been facing outside of the workplace.
“The stress emanates from the effects of the pandemic, health issues with her father, the loss of two children, her husband losing his job, and her eldest son who suffers from mental health problems,” the document says.
The department’s decision marked the second time this year a white cop in the department faced disciplinary action for using a racial slur on the job. Just last week, the Cincinnati city manager’s office shared documents with VICE News regarding an investigation into Officer Rose Valentino, who was caught on her own body camera using the N-word during a bout of road rage.
Valentino was suspended from the job because of the incident until further notice and is still awaiting disciplinary action. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval signaled he doesn’t want to see her return to her post.
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